JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With the start of the 2022 Carson-Newman baseball season less than one week away, the athletic communications staff has compiled a three-part series profiling the Eagles roster in preparation for the year starting with a look at the pitchers and catchers with senior right-hander Matt Bradley.
On the mound, the Eagles return nine of their top 10 hurlers in terms of innings pitched with the group of pitchers combining to throw 525 1/3 innings in a Carson-Newman uniform with several of those pitchers logging more frames at other colleges. Eight of the 16 flamethrowers expected to toe the slab this year are upperclassmen.
Matt Bradley (Talbott, Tenn.) has pitched in 43 games over his career and is coming off of his best campaign as a full-time starting pitcher. In 2021, the right-hander posted a 4.38 ERA striking out 49 in 49 1/3 innings recording three wins and a complete game effort. Overall he has throw 160 2/3 innings for his career with 10 wins and 180 punch outs.
In 2021, the right-hander went at least six innings in six of his nine starts and posted a 3.72 ERA in his final 29 innings on the rubber. He has three victories against top 10 teams in his career and was named to the South Atlantic Conference's preseason second-team all-conference club.
"It's really about consistency and staying healthy," Bradley said. "Over the four years I have gained a lot of experience. There isn't much that I haven't seen so it's really about being the best version of myself and helping the new guys and the transfers as much as I can."
Joining Bradley in the rotation is the team's ace from a year ago in Brayden Coe (Bridgeville, Pa.). After becoming the team's first All-American since 2012, the senior earned six awards in 2021 and tallied one of the best seasons in school history.
He piled up a wonderful season going 7-0 with a 2.23 ERA in 10 starts striking out 63 batters and walking just 17 in 64 2/3 innings pitched. The Eagles were 9-2 as a team in his outings this year. His seven victories were good for second in the league and 37th in the country while his four complete games top the SAC and are 13th in the country. His ERA is fourth in the conference while he ranks ninth hits per nine innings (6.26), eighth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.81) and walks per nine (2.63). His 63 strikeouts are second.
"He's a stud," Bradley said. "Any time he gets on that mound he is a bulldog. You like to think you are going to win anytime he steps on the mound. Throwing on Saturdays you like to think you are always going to throw with a win under your belt."
Adding to the depth as a starting pitcher, Matt Coles (Winter Garden, Fla.) went 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA over 39 innings last season. The southpaw came on strong giving up one earned run in his last two starts of the year in 15 innings shutting out Coker on April 18. One week later, he fanned eight over eight innings to help the Eagles defeat eventual National Champion Wingate in the SAC Tournament.
Mason Mooney (San Jose, Calif.) showcased terrific control in 36 1/3 innings in his first year at Mossy Creek. He threw six strong stanzas against Wingate in the SAC Tournament but his best outing came on March 21 as he put up zeroes over 7 1/3 innings in a 7-0 win over Queens.
Rounding out the rotation options is Corey Wilson (Germantown, Tenn.). The right-hander struck out 17 in 21 1/3 innings tallying three wins in eight appearances. Coming up clutch at Newberry on April 14, he logged three shutout innings in a 2-0 win.
Turning to the bullpen, Carson-Newman can rely on two of the best in the league. Tyler Shaver (Dandridge, Tenn.) has a 2.37 ERA over his last two years striking out 86 batters in 64 2/3 innings having given up a total of three homers in 85 1/3 innings on the bump. The senior was a swiss-army knife for the team last year logging more than one inning in 10 of his 12 appearances. He sizzled against Queens on March 21 fanning six and giving up three hits in seven shutout innings. Subtract a tough outing at Wingate and he gave up six earned runs in 29 innings.
Joining the talented tandem in the bullpen, Jake Wright (Ringgold, Ga.) was dynamic in his rookie year with three wins and 35 punch outs in 30 2/3 innings pitched. Earning SAC Pitcher of the Week laurels on March 23, he became the first Eagle toss a complete game one-hitter as an individual since Robby Thigpen one-hit Anderson on Feb. 26, 2011. However the Trojans scored a run after a hit batter and a walk in that game. Wright retired 17 in a row prior to a dropped fly ball with two outs in the top of the seventh. He promptly induced a grounder back to the mound to end the game. Overall, he was the fourth pitcher since 2002 (as far as the game logs go back) to toss a complete game allowing one hit or fewer joining Thigpen, McIntyre and Justin Higdon who fired seven, one-hit frames at Augusta State on Feb. 1, 2009 punching out seven. Thigpen and Higdon walked three each in their efforts.
That is just the tip of the iceberg with returners as five others tossed relief innings a year ago returning to the fold. Coach Tom Griffin brought in two Division I transfers in Hunter Harritan (Huntersville, N.C.) from Marshall and Tyler D'Amico (Waxhaw, N.C.) from Hofstra.
"I definitely think that's the biggest difference this year is the depth of our bullpen," Bradley said. "There are a ton of guys that you are very confident in that can come in and get outs. I think that helps the starters being comfortable coming out of games. There is a lot of competition amongst the guys because if you can't do it then someone else can. That's something different this year that we haven't had in the past."
Doing the catch for the team this year, the Eagles return Matt Parkinson (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) who has started 59 games for the team in the last two years. Parkinson, a preseason second-team All-SAC pick, flashed an electric piece of lumber from the start of his first year at Mossy Creek tallying multi-hit games in each of his first two appearances launching three homers in his first eight at-bats. He produced at least one RBI in each of his first four games and eight of the first 10 outings. The catcher opened career with 12-game hitting streak homering in six of those hitting .486, 18-37, with seven long balls and 15 RBIs.
Travis broke out as a sophomore hitting .299 with three homers and 21 RBIs. He was named the SAC Player of the Week on March 2 and exploded in a four-game series against Catawba going 7-for-14 at the plate with the first two homers of his career, seven RBIs and four runs scored. The right-handed hitter tallied three, two-hit days and a pair of multi-RBI outings driving in a run in each game. The backstop concluded the campaign with eight multi-hit games and a five-game hitting streak to end the year.
"It's huge offensively," Bradley said. "You know coach [Griffin] we are never going to have a bad defensive catcher. All of those guys are incredible. I'd be lucky to throw to any of them. When you pitch to them in intrasquads, they are pretty scary so that is an added plus."
The second part of the position previews will be released on Saturday with a look at the outfield with Jordan Griffin previewing the lone position group that has to replace a starter.
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